


Saying Goodbye to the Boy Next Door (With a little help...)

by QueenyClairey



Series: Ficlet Instruments [3]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Best Friends, Childhood Memories, Ficletinstruments, Friendship, Gen, Grief, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, New Beginnings, house of memories, saying goodbye, week 4: The Boy Next Door
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-08-14 06:26:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20187769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenyClairey/pseuds/QueenyClairey
Summary: Ragnor was always there for Magnus. Best friends, their childhood intertwined since birth.Now he's gone. And Magnus is only left with memories.Maybe someone new can help him grieve?





	Saying Goodbye to the Boy Next Door (With a little help...)

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [sh_ficletinstruments](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/sh_ficletinstruments) collection. 

> **Prompt:**
> 
> Magnus and Ragnor have been best friends since childhood. After a tragic accident claims his friend's life Magnus can't seem to let go. Often finding himself parked in front of his friend's house, his world is turned upside down then he pulls up to find moving trucks in front of the house and someone new seems to have moved in.

The second his mum arrives at the house, he is leaping out, rushing up the path and flinging himself at the man. 

“No! No! No!” he yells, beating his fists at the cardboard box that _was_ being carried inside. 

Distantly, he hears his mum shouting his name and then feels arms around him as he is pulled against a strong chest, large biceps encircling him. He allows himself to be held, all fight draining as he collapses.

“He was his best friend,” he hears his mother say and the 'was' destroys him, tears saturating the black t-shirt beneath his cheek. 

“It’s okay,” a deep voice says, it's cadence calming. Different to Ragnor, but sounding just as safe, just as welcome. “Do you want to come in, see the house, it might help?”

Magnus’ mother protests that they can’t take up his time, but Magnus nods fiercely, pulling back from the man’s embrace to choke out “Yes!”

He doesn’t go to his mother, his mother who would deny him the chance of a final look, instead he reaches for the tall man’s fingers and clasps them in his, squeezing, “Please?” 

The man quirks his lips, a little shiver running through Magnus as his dark eyes take him in, then motions to the house, pulling him inside. His mother doesn’t follow.

There isn’t much difference from the last time. The walls are still lemon, the hallway still narrow, the stairs still steep. 

He traces the carving on the spindle where Ragnor wrote their names with a cheeky grin, accepting his punishment without a word. Conjures an image of his friend, imagines him there beside him advising him to wipe his eyes because the man he’s been hugging is incredibly sexy and he’s made a fool of himself already. 

“Sorry,” he gasps out, taking a second to rub at his face before looking up and almost crying out at the handsome face above him. 

The man stares down, eyes taking him in. “Would you like to look around, maybe show me things you’d like leaving the same?”

“You’d do that?” Magnus manages to say, unable to believe this is happening.

“I know grief,” he replies simply, a far away look in his eyes.

When they reach Ragnor’s room, Magnus has a second breakdown and lies on the floor where the bed was, memories projecting from his mind. He babbles them all out, unthinking. 

Their first kiss was here, experimenting; learning to dance together for prom; admitting he was bisexual; applying to the same university. 

All gone. 

“But it’s not, he’s in your heart and your mind, they’re never gone really, I promise.”

They lock eyes and Magnus dredges up a smile, “I’m Magnus Bane, grieving best friend of the deceased.”

“Alexander Lightwood, grieving brother, here to escape.” he replies, coming to lie on the floor beside Magnus.

“Think we could grieve together?” Magnus asks, reaching over to link their pinky fingers. 

“I think that would be nice.”


End file.
